Ohio County Schools Officials To Discuss New Requirements To Screen Students for Reading Problems
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WHEELING -- Ohio County Schools will host a session to discuss new state requirements for identifying students with reading problems, and what support these children will get as they move through the school system.
A presentation regarding the stipulations of House Bill 3035 passed earlier this year by the West Virginia Legislature is set for 5 p.m. Monday at the Ohio County Board of Education office, 2203 National Road, Elm Grove.
The public is invited to attend, and the meeting will be especially important to parents who believe their children may have reading problems, explained Nicole Shepherd, Behavior Specialist and Alternative Education Coordinator for Ohio County Schools.
Information about how students will be screened for dyslexia and dyscalculia will be presented by Shepherd; Raquel McLeod, student services director; and Leah Stout, special education director.
There also will be additional discussion about what resources will be available to these students as they move forward in the school system, Shepherd said.
HB 3035 requires screenings of all students in grades kindergarten through third grade in reading and math, as well as screenings for dyslexia and dyscalculia.
"We are going to talk about the screener we chose and explain that process to parents," Shepherd said. "We are also going to be talking about what our reading curriculum and our support pieces look like at the elementary level, and how they are aligned with the science of reading that the House bill also requires.
"We're also going to be talking about what the process looks like if a student is struggling in reading, what the support pieces look like ... and what that looks like moving forward toward an evaluation for a specific disability in reading."
HB 3035 requires school districts to develop a system for parents and guardians to annually receive digital and print informational materials related to dyslexia.
Administrators must ensure at least one educator at each school is trained to administer, score, and interpret the data from the literacy screening instrument or instruments, and to recognize signs of dyslexia.
School districts also must notify parents of the results of these literacy screeners, while also emphasizing that not all students who perform poorly on these screening instruments have dyslexia. Conversely, not all students with dyslexia will perform poorly on the screeners, the legislation states.
In the end, school districts are required to provide evidence-based reading intervention to students who exhibit academic risk in future reading performance, including indicators of dyslexia.